oahu 01
november 15, 2005
stepped away for a jaunt to my second home. it's been 1.5 years since my last visit (way overdue in my book). this trip has been a long time coming for many different reasons and i'm so glad that i took the time out to make it happen. this ended up being one of the best trips i've had to the islands. with the exception of my icky vertigo kicking in again (UGH!), everything was pretty darn peachy on this trip.
my main goal during this trip was to relax and to soak in the aloha vibes. they always tend to rejuvenate me in miraculous ways. of course, catching up with friends, trying out new places to eat and working on my tan was on the agenda too. i couldn't be luckier to have 6 full days of sunshine with slight showers occasionally at night. but during the day, the temps were in the low 80's with nice tradewinds to cool down the blazing tropical sun. i took full advantage of it by hitting the beach 4 days in a row.
my plane arrived at around 12pm and by the time i got the rental car and was on my way into town, my stomach was calling me to make a pitstop before checking into the hotel. so i pulled into the ward center area and heaaded to big city diner. i love this place for the large amounts they give you while maintaining pretty low prices. and the food is pretty darn tasty too.
wings over kaimuki - chicken wings w/ zesty sweet guava bbq sauce - a real nice kick to the tangy and spicy bbq sauce. it's not the typical buffalo wings we find on the mainland but instead has a zippy island flavor to it. got downright spicy after awhile.
kimchee fried rice - 'brok da mout' - perfectly seasoned fried rice with bits of kimchee, char siu and other items.
ray-chan's poke - not your typical poke with shoyu and sesame seed oil. this one was slightly sweet and light on the seasoning. i liked it for this very fact as i'm not really into eating salty foods. served with some chili sauce for dipping to your liking.
big city diner
ward entertainment center
1060 auahi street
honolulu, hawaii 96814
808.591.8891
to work off that lunch, i went across the street to nordstroms shoes to take a gander. because it's fall on the mainland, finding an ample variety of sandals is like finding water in the desert. so i stopped in to see what they had. it is nordstroms afterall and if i don't like it, i could always return it. i walked out two sandals heavier and $100 lighter.
by the time i checked into my hotel, it was nearing 3pm. i knew the sun wouldn't be out for much longer at its fullest strength, so i unpacked everything and scurried down to the beach for a bit of time on the sand. waikiki beach is definitely not one of my favorite beaches on o'ahu. BUT the only up side to it is that it's close to the hotels to make use of your time there and it's a good place for people watching.
waikiki in general was much more crowded than on my previous trips there. i heard that the economy was improving and it showed. tourism was definitely up and there was booming construction all along kalakaua ave. of course the crowds were mainly japanese tourists but i noticed a huge influx of chinese tourists as well from mainland, hong kong and taiwan. hawaii is most assuredly one of the top travel meccas of the world. all sorts of faces from all sorts of places.
oh, and i promise to actually complete this whole travelogue this time. it seems like everytime i start my travelogue, i always end up leaving it hanging. i vow to finish it this time. or not more sushi for me. :p
currently listening to: ayumi hamasaki, vogue
